Senegalese goalkeeper Édouard Mendy in the tough with Chelsea
Chelsea's Senegalese goalkeeper, Édouard Mendy, on September 14, 2021 during the Champions League match against Zénith Saint-Petersburg, at Stamford Bridge stadium in London.
Action Images via Reuters - JOHN SIBLEY
Text by: Farid Achache Follow
3 mins
Winner of the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, African champion in 2022 in Cameroon, the former Rennes player lost his starting position with the Blues.
Tuesday, October 11, traveling to AC Milan in C1, Edouard Mendy once again remained on the bench, as in the previous five Chelsea meetings.
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Life is made up of ups and downs.
Praised since his arrival in England, Édouard Mendy is going through a troubled period, he who was doing wonders on his line.
Frank Lampard had made him his holder from the 4th day of the 2020/2021 championship then his successor Thomas Tuchel, on his arrival in January 2021, had confirmed him in his role with very high level services at the key.
The nightmare after a good period
Second best goalkeeper in the Premier League in the number of games without conceding a goal that season (16), he also protected his cages nine times in the Champions League, a record, including the final in which
the Blues
went look for an almost unexpected trophy under the nose and beard of Manchester City (1-0).
Édouard Mendy was even crowned
best goalkeeper
in Europe by UEFA, then in the world by Fifa after this fantastic season, a first for an African goalkeeper.
The following season, he won another title at
the FIFA Club World Cup
.
The nightmare began last spring for the 30-year-old in the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge (1-3).
His failing footwork had offered Karim Benzema the third goal that day.
After this match, we did not see the decisive "Edou" who sometimes won matches almost alone.
Although rare, his gross errors, such as the loose ball after attempting a hook against an opponent three yards from his goals against Leeds in late August in a 3-0 loss, have tarnished his image.
Injured in September, the new trainer Graham Potter to revive his ex-double Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Since then, the Spaniard has regained its luster.
What to doubt Mendy.
Get healthy with the selection in Qatar
“
When you look at all the matches over the next six weeks, we have an incredible schedule, so I'm not looking forward to labeling it as number one or number two.
We want Kepa to have fun and play again at his best level and help Édouard
(Mendy)
to be ready to play.
When this is the case, we will have two good goalkeepers.
Ideally, we would like football to decide, but we will have two goalkeepers in whom we believe and it will be a good situation for us
,” said Graham Potter.
After six Premier League days, Édouard Mendy had already conceded 9 goals and had only achieved one clean sheet, far from his usual standards.
Hero of Senegal's qualification for the 2022 World Cup in a new penalty shootout against Egypt, Mendy hopes to recover his health with the selection in Qatar.
The one who went from unemployed to the best goalkeeper in the world in six years, finds himself a substitute at Chelsea.
Nothing is ever acquired.
Still injured in the knee, he did not participate in the last two friendly matches of the Lions against Bolivia and Iran (September 24 and 27).
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